Electronic device and electronic system

ABSTRACT

An electronic device includes: an accommodation section that detachably accommodates a portable device; an eject unit that ejects the portable device accommodated in the accommodation section; and a guide mechanism that guides the portable device so that a first side of the portable device is positioned in the accommodation section and a second side thereof opposite to the first side is ejected from the accommodation section. The eject unit is arranged behind the accommodation sections and the accommodation section has an opening through which the second side of the portable device accommodated in the accommodation section is exposed.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to an electronic device and anelectronic system, and more particularly to an in-vehicle electronicdevice and an in-vehicle electronic system.

2. Description of the Related Art

Widely known conventional navigation devices include small-sizedportable navigation devices that are called personal navigation devicesand can be carried around though their structures are simple, andin-vehicle navigation devices that are accommodated and secured in theconcave portions (DIN openings) formed in the dashboards of vehicles.Each of the in-vehicle navigation devices can perform a highly preciseguiding operation, with the assistance of information such as vehiclespeed information supplied from the vehicle. Some of the newly suggestedin-vehicle navigation devices are equipped with audio devices.

In recent years, navigation devices that have the portability of theportable navigation devices and the highly sophisticated guidingperformance of the in-vehicle navigation systems have been developed.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 8-318792 (Reference 1),Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2002-328026 (Reference 2),Published Japanese Translation No. 2005-524570 of the PCT internationalpublication for a patent application (Reference 3), and JapaneseUnexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-239895 (Reference 4) disclosestructures each having a navigating unit that can be detached from ain-vehicle device mounted on a vehicle. Detached from the in-vehicledevice, the navigating unit can be used as an independent portablenavigation device.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2003-166848 (Reference 5)discloses a structure in which a navigation device can be detached froma vehicle, and can be used while the user is walking. While thenavigation device is mounted in the vehicle, the navigation deviceoperates in a car navigating mode. When detached from the vehicle, thenavigation device operates in a human navigating mode.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2005-173653 (Reference 6)discloses an in-vehicle device having a storage portion defined by arecess that is provided on the front surface of the in-vehicle deviceand is opened upward. A portable part that is a navigation part isoperated to slide in the accommodation section through the opened upperside of the in-vehicle device and is detachable placed in position.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances.

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided anelectronic device including: an accommodation section that detachablyaccommodates a portable device; an eject unit that ejects the portabledevice accommodated in the accommodation section; and a guide mechanismthat guides the portable device so that a first side of the portabledevice is positioned in the accommodation section and a second sidethereof opposite to the first side is ejected from the accommodationsection, the eject unit being arranged behind the accommodation section,and the accommodation section having an opening through which the secondside of the portable device accommodated in the accommodation section isexposed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is providedan electronic system comprising a portable device, and an electronicdevice that detachable holds the portable device, the electronic deviceincluding: an accommodation section that detachably accommodates theportable device; an eject unit that ejects the portable deviceaccommodated in the accommodation section; and a guide mechanism thatguides the portable device so that a first side of the portable deviceis positioned in the accommodation section and a second side thereofopposite to the first side is ejected from the accommodation section,the eject unit being arranged behind the accommodation section, and theaccommodation section having an opening through which the second side ofthe portable device accommodated in the accommodation section isexposed.

According to yet another aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an in-vehicle electronic device including: a main unit; and afront-face unit provided on a front side of the main unit, thefront-face unit including an accommodation section having a recess fordetachably accommodating a portable device, the accommodation sectionhaving an opening through which one of right and left sides of theportable device is exposed in a state in which the portable device isaccommodated in the accommodation section.

According to a further aspect of the present invention, there isprovided an in-vehicle electronic system comprising a portable deviceand an in-vehicle electronic device, the in-vehicle electronic deviceincluding: a main unit; and a front-face unit provided on a front sideof the main unit, the front-face unit including an accommodation sectionhaving a recess for detachably accommodating the portable device, theaccommodation section having an opening through which one of right andleft sides of the portable device is exposed in a state in which theportable device is accommodated in the accommodation section.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome more apparent from the following detailed description when readin conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates an external view of an in-vehicle system;

FIG. 2 shows a portable device detached from the in-vehicle device;

FIG. 3 shows a situation in which a front-face unit of the in-vehicledevice tilts with respect to an in-vehicle device main unit, and a CDinsertion/ejection slit is exposed;

FIG. 4 shows an example case where the in-vehicle system is mounted on avehicle;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically illustrating the structure ofthe in-vehicle system;

FIG. 6 shows an example of the front-face unit of the in-vehicle device;

FIG. 7A illustrate front, top, bottom, left side and right-side views ofthe portable device, and FIG. 7B is a back view of the portable device;

FIG. 8 illustrates the portable device pushed out from an accommodationsection of the front-face unit;

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of an eject unit;

FIG. 10 illustrates the eject unit viewed from the backside of thefront-face unit;

FIG. 11 is a cutaway cross-sectional view of the front-face unit;

FIGS. 12A through 12C are respectively cutaway cross-sectional viewsillustrating a way to attach and detach the portable device to and fromthe in-vehicle device;

FIGS. 13A through 13C illustrate related art;

FIG. 14A is a perspective view of the in-vehicle device to which theportable device is attached, and FIG. 14B schematically illustrates theportable device;

FIG. 15 is a back view of a portable device in accordance with a secondembodiment; and

FIG. 16 is a side view of the front-face unit to which the portabledevice is attached.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The following is a description of preferred embodiments of the presentinvention, with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should benoted that the scope of the present invention is not limited to theembodiments described below, and is defined in the claims and theirequivalents.

First Embodiment

FIG. 1 illustrates the external appearance of an in-vehicle system 1that is an example of an electronic system.

As depicted in FIG. 1, the in-vehicle system 1 includes an in-vehicledevice 100 (an electronic device or an in-vehicle electronic device)that is mounted on a vehicle, and a portable device 10 (a portableelectronic device or an in-vehicle portable device) that has navigatingfunctions. The portable device 10 can be attached to the front-face unit120 (a cap unit) of the in-vehicle device 100 as depicted in FIG. 1. Theportable device 10 can also be detached from the in-vehicle device 100as depicted in FIG. 1B, and can be used independently of the in-vehicledevice 100.

The in-vehicle device 100 may be an in-vehicle audio device thatreproduces music data, for example. The in-vehicle device 100 is adevice that can reproduce radio broadcasting, or a device that canreproduce music data written on a recording medium such as a CD (CompactDisc). The in-vehicle device 100 includes an in-vehicle main unit 110(the main unit) that has a CD reproducing unit and a CDinsertion/ejection slit, and the front-face unit 120 that has a displayunit 131 and an operation unit 132. The portable device 10 hasnavigating functions, including the function of searching for a guideroute to a destination and the function of displaying the guide routesuperimposed on a map.

FIG. 2 illustrates the front-face unit 120 of the in-vehicle device 100,in which the portable device 10 has been detached from the in-vehicledevice 100, more specifically the front-face unit 120. An accommodationsection 170 that has a concave portion formed to accommodate theportable device 10 is provided on the front-face unit 120 of thein-vehicle device 100. This an accommodation section 170 has a connector150 for electrically connecting the in-vehicle device 100 and theportable device 10, and a lock 161 and two ribs 162 for fixing theportable device 10 to the front-face unit 120. Further, theaccommodation section 170 has slopes 163 for guiding ends of theportable device 10 to the ribs 162, and an eject unit 164 for ejectingthe portable device 10 forwards from the accommodation section 170 fromthe backside thereof.

An escape vent 165 for escaping the eject unit 164 is formed in theaccommodation section 170. The two ribs 162 are respectively located attwo positions on the left side of the accommodation section 170. Theslopes 163 are arranged so that the two ribs 162 are verticallyinterposed therebetween. Each of the ribs 162 has three protrusionsarranged in parallel.

When a detachment button 160 provided on the front-face unit 120 ispressed, the lock 161 is released, so that the portable device 10 can bedetached from the in-vehicle device 100. The accommodation section 170has an opening 169 through which the right side of the portable device10 placed in position in the accommodation section 170 is exposed. Theopening 169 will be described in detail later.

FIG. 3 illustrates a situation in which the front-face unit 120 istilted with respect to a main unit 110, so as to expose aninsertion/ejection slit 180. The front face unit 120 can be tilted withrespect to the main unit 110 by driving a slider 181 by a drivingmechanism. The tilting operation allows the insertion/rejection slit 180to be exposed so that a disk-shaped recording media can be inserted intoand ejected from the main unit 110. An operation button (a tilt/ejectbutton 132 a illustrated in FIG. 6) is provided on the front-face unit120 of the in-vehicle device 100, and a desired tilt angle can be set byhandling this button.

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary case where the in-vehicle system 1 ismounted in a vehicle. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the in-vehicle system 1may be provided in a dashboard area located substantially at the midpoint between a driver seat 52 and a front passenger seat 51. Althoughnot illustrated in the drawing, the GPS antenna of a GPS informationreceiving unit 133 (described later) is provided on the dashboard or isattached to the inner face of the windshield.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing the structure of thein-vehicle system 1.

The in-vehicle device 100 and the portable device 10 are electricallyconnected to each other with connectors. The connector 150 is providedon the side of the in-vehicle device 100, and a connector 30 is providedon the portable device 10. Those connectors 150 and 30 are connected toeach other, so that various signals are transmitted and received betweenthe in-vehicle device 100 and the portable device 10, and the in-vehicledevice 100 and the portable device 10 function as the in-vehicle system1. Also, power supply terminals for supplying electric power from thebattery of the vehicle to the portable device 10 are attached to theconnectors 150 and 30. When the portable device 10 is connected to thein-vehicle device 100, and electric power is being supplied to thein-vehicle device 100, the electric power is also being supplied to theportable device 10 via the power supply terminal.

The in-vehicle device 100 includes the display unit 131, the operationunit 132, the GPS information receiving unit 133, a radio receiving unit134, a reproducing unit 135, a sound adjusting unit 136, a memory 137, amicrophone 138, an external audio/video input unit 139, a controller 140(a controlling unit), the connector 150, and a stepping motor 190. Whenthe engine key is located at Acc or IG position, electric power issupplied from the battery on the vehicle, and the in-vehicle device 100is activated.

In the following, the functions of each component are described indetail.

The display unit 131 has a liquid crystal panel and a backlight, anddisplays the received broadcasting frequency, the reproduced tune trackNo., the reproduced tune title, and the likes.

The operation unit 132 is designed to perform an operation for switchingoperation modes of the in-vehicle device 100, and an operation in eachselected mode. As depicted in FIG. 6, the operation unit 132 has a groupof buttons including the tilt/eject button 132 a, a band/tune button 132b, a TEXT button 132 c, a SCREEN button 132 d, a SOURCE/PWR button 132e, a CONTROL button 132 f, and a MUTE/SCREEN OFF button 132 g. Thetilt/eject button 132 a is used to tilt the front-face unit 120. Theband/tune button 132 is used to change the radio frequency of thereproduced subject or the track of the recording media of the reproducedsubject. The TEXT button 132 c is used to change the title displayed onthe display unit 131. The SCREEN button 132 d is used to switch theimage displayed on a display unit 11 to either the image of navigationor the moving image of DVD. The SOURCE/PWR button 132 e is used toswitch the subject source to be reproduced and power on/off thein-vehicle device 100. The CONTROL button 132 f is used to control thetone. The MUTE/SCREEN OFF button 132 g is used to cut audio and turnon/off the display unit 11.

Referring back to FIG. 5, the GPS information receiving unit 133 has aGPS antenna and a tuner unit, and receives GPS signals from satellites.Each GPS signal received by the GPS information receiving unit 133 isoutput to the navigating unit 19 of the portable device 10 via thecontroller 140, the connector 150, the connector 30, and a controller20. Based on the GPS signal, the location of the vehicle on which thein-vehicle device 100 accommodating the portable device 10 is mounted isdetermined.

The radio receiving unit 134 has an antenna and a tuner unit, andreceives broadcast wave such as AM broadcast wave, FM broadcast wave, ormultiple broadcast wave. The radio receiving unit 134 then outputs anaudio signal, receives and demodulates multiple data, and outputs ademodulated signal to the controller 140.

The reproducing unit 135 reproduces the data such as audio data andmoving image data recorded on a recording medium such as a CD or DVD,and outputs a resultant reproduction signal to the controller 140.Alternatively, the demodulated signal that is output from the radioreceiving unit 134 may be output to the later described sound adjustingunit 136, with the controller 140 being not involved.

The sound adjusting unit 136 performs signal processing such as soundvolume adjustment or sound quality adjustment on the audio signal thatis received and demodulated by the radio receiving unit 134 or the audiosignal that is reproduced by the reproducing unit 135. The soundadjusting unit 136 then outputs the processed signal to a speaker 145.The memory 137 (a memory unit) can be formed with a RAM (Random AccessMemory) on and from which data can be written and read. The informationrequired for controlling operations, such as the tilting state of thefront-face unit 120 (the tilt angle information indicating the tiltangle), is temporarily stored in the memory 137. The microphone 138 isdesigned for communication in a handsfree fashion, and captures thevoice of users in the vehicle.

The external audio/video input unit 139 has a USB memory and aconnection terminal for a connection to an external device such as aportable audio device. The external audio/video input unit 139 receivesaudio signals or data from an external device, and transmits the audiosignals or data to the controller 140. The external audio/video inputunit 139 also outputs control signals, audio signals, or data receivedfrom the controller 140 to a connected external device.

In accordance with an operation through the operation unit 132, thecontroller 140 controls the radio receiving unit 134, the reproducingunit 135, and the sound adjusting unit 136. The controller 140 alsooutputs various signals to the portable device 10 via the connector 150.Based on various signals that are input from the portable device 10, thecontroller 140 controls the in-vehicle device 100. For example, thecontroller 140 outputs a GPS signal that is received through the GPSinformation receiving unit 133 or an audio signal that is input throughthe microphone 138 to the portable device 10 via the connector 150.

Alternatively, an audio signal that is input through the microphone 138may be output to the portable device 10 via the connector 150, with thecontroller 140 being not involved.

The controller 140 also receives a speech voice, via the connector 150,from a portable telephone device connected to the portable device 10.The controller 140 then outputs the speech voice to the speaker 145 viathe sound adjusting unit 136. The controller 140 further obtains anoperation signal for the menu screen of each mode to be displayed on thedisplay unit 11 of the portable device 10, and controls the radioreceiving unit 134 and the reproducing unit 135.

Electric power is supplied to the controller 140 from the batterymounted on the vehicle. If the portable device 10 is connected to thein-vehicle device 100, the controller 140 outputs the electric powerfrom the battery to the portable device 10. A vehicle-speed pulse and anillumination source signal are also input from the vehicle to thecontroller 140. The controller 140 transfers the vehicle-speed pulse tothe controller 20 of the portable device 10. Alternatively, thevehicle-speed pulse may not be input to the controller 140 in the firstplace.

The portable device 10 is now described. The portable device 10 includesthe display unit 11, the operation unit 12, the GPS informationreceiving unit 13, the speaker 14, a storage cell 15, a cell chargingcircuit 16, a wireless communication transmitting/receiving unit 17, amemory 18, the navigating unit 19, the controller 20, and the connector30.

The functions of each of the components are now described in detail.

The display unit 11 includes a liquid crystal panel and a backlight. Thedisplay unit 11 can display map information or destination guide routeinformation that is generated by the navigating unit 19, or the receivedbroadcasting frequency, the reproduced tune track No., the reproducedtune title, or the like that is transferred from the in-vehicle device100. Each of the display units 11 and 131 may not be formed with aliquid crystal panel, but may be formed with some other flat paneldisplay such as an organic EL display panel, a plasma display panel, ora cold-cathode flat display panel.

The operation unit 12 includes a touch panel and a power switch button55 (see FIG. 7A) for switching on and off the power source of theportable device 10. The touch panel may be placed on the display screenof the display unit 11, for example. When the touch panel is touchedwith a finger or a special-purpose pen, the touched point is spotted,and an input operation is detected. The power switch button 55 will bedescribed later.

The GPS information receiving unit 13 includes an antenna and a tunerunit, and receives GPS signals from satellites. Each received GPS signalis output to the navigating unit 19, and the location of the device isdetermined from the GPS signal. The in-vehicle device 100 also has theGPS information receiving unit 133 mounted thereon. When the portabledevice 10 is attached to the in-vehicle device 100, the location of thevehicle on which the in-vehicle device 100 accommodating the portabledevice 10 is mounted is determined from a GPS signal (and a vehiclespeed pulse) received by the GPS information receiving unit 133. Whenthe portable device 10 is used independently of the in-vehicle device100, the location of the portable device 10 is determined from a GPSsignal received by the GPS information receiving unit 13.

The speaker 14 is designed to output audio information that is suppliedfrom the navigating unit 19. When the portable device 10 is detachedfrom the in-vehicle device 100 or is used independently of thein-vehicle device 100r the speaker 14 outputs audio information.

The storage cell 15 supplies electric power to each component of theportable device 10. When the portable device 10 is attached to thein-vehicle device 100, electric power is supplied from the battery ofthe vehicle via the power supply terminal of the connector 30, and thestorage cell 15 is charged by the charging circuit 16. The chargingcircuit 16 receives electric power from a connected terminal via a USBslot 57 (see FIG. 7A), and then charges the storage cell 15.

The wireless communication transmitting/receiving unit 17 exchangescommunication voices with a portable telephone device, and obtainsinformation to be used for navigations via a portable telephone device.The wireless communication transmitting/receiving unit 17 may utilizeBluetooth, which is a 2.4-GHz band wireless transmission method.

The memory 18 may be a RAM on which reading and writing can beperformed. Information that is read for each controlling operation istemporarily stored in the memory 18.

The navigating unit 19 includes a map information storage unit thatobtains and stores map information from a SD card or a USB memory(described later) that stores the map information to be used fornavigations. In accordance with a GPS signal supplied from the GPSinformation receiving unit 133 or 13, the navigating unit 19 detects thecurrent location information, and creates an image to be used in anavigating operation. The created map can be displayed on the displayunit 11. When the portable device 10 is connected to the in-vehicledevice 100, the vehicle speed pulse is obtained from the vehicle, so asto increase the accuracy of determining the location of the vehicle onwhich the in-vehicle device 100 accommodating the portable device 10 ismounted. Alternatively, the map information may be stored in theportable device 10.

The controller 20 controls each of the components of the portable device10. The controller 20 also outputs various signals to the in-vehicledevice 100 via the connector 30, and, based on various signals that areinput from the in-vehicle device 100, controls the portable device 10.For example, the controller 20 obtains a GPS signal and a vehicle speedpulse received by the GPS information receiving unit 133 of thein-vehicle device 100, from the controller 140 of the in-vehicle device100. The controller 20 then outputs the GPS signal and the vehicle speedpulse to the navigating unit 19.

The controller 20 also obtains an audio signal that is input through themicrophone 138 of the in-vehicle device 100, from the controller 140 ofthe in-vehicle device 100. In accordance with the audio signal, thecontroller 20 controls the navigating unit 19. Accordingly, thenavigating unit 19 can be operated in a handsfree fashion. Thecontroller 20 also outputs communication voices from a portabletelephone device connected to the wireless communicationtransmitting/receiving unit 17, to the in-vehicle device 100 via theconnector 30, so that the communication voices can be output from thespeaker 145 of the in-vehicle device 100. The controller 20 also outputsan operation signal for a menu screen or a content screen displayed onthe display unit 11, to the controller 140 of the in-vehicle device 100via the connector 30. In accordance with the operation signaltransmitted from the controller 20 of the portable device 10, thecontroller 140 controls the radio receiving unit 134 and the reproducingunit 135.

FIG. 7A illustrates a front view, a top view, a bottom view, a left sideview, and a right side view of the portable device 10. FIG. 10Billustrates a back view of the portable device 10.

The power switch button 55 for switching on and off the power source ofthe portable device 10 is provided on the top face of the portabledevice 10. A SD (Secure Digital) memory card slot 56, a USB slot 57, andan earphone jack 58 are formed in the bottom face of the portable device10. Recesses 59 for accommodating the ribs 162 illustrated in FIG. 2 areprovided on the left side of the portable device 10. A connector 30 formaking electrical connections with the in-vehicle device 100 is providedon the backside of the portable device 10. Further, an engagement groove60 for engagement with the eject unit 164 is provided on the bottom andback surfaces of the portable device 10.

A SD card or a USB memory having map information recorded thereon isinserted to the SD memory card slot 56 or the USB slot 57, so that thecontroller 20 can read the map information from the SD card or the USBmemory, and output the map information to the navigating unit 19.

When the portable device 10 is attached to the in-vehicle device 100,the power source of the portable device 10 is switched on and off underthe control of the in-vehicle device 100.

A description will now be given of a way to attach and detach theportable device 10 to and from the accommodation section 170. When thedetachment button 160 is depressed in the state in which the portabledevice 10 has been attached, the locked state implemented by the lock161 is released and the eject unit 164 pushes the back surface of theportable device 10, which is thus ejected forwards from theaccommodation section 170. Since the ribs 162 are engaged with therecesses 59 in the above ejecting operation, the right side of theportable device 10 is ejected from the accommodation section 170 whilethe left side of the portable device 10 is still accommodated. Morespecifically, the portable device 10 is ejected from the accommodationsection 170 so that the right side thereof is turned about the axisdefined by the left side. FIG. 8 illustrates the portable device 10ejected from the accommodation section 170. As illustrated in FIG. 8,the side of the portable device 10 located on the side of the front-faceunit 120 having the opening 169 is ejected forwards. The recesses 59 andthe ribs 162 form a guide mechanism.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2, the accommodation section 170 has theopening 169 that allows the right side of the portable device 10 to beexposed. This arrangement of the opening 169 is realized by placing theeject unit 164 behind the accommodation section 170. In related art, theeject unit may be arranged within a sidewall located in the opening 169.In contrast, according to the present in-vehicle device 100, the uniquearrangement of the eject unit 164 behind the accommodation section 170makes it possible to omit the sidewall and instead arrange the opening169.

If the portable device is attached in such a way that the entire sidesof the portable device are covered by the accommodation section, it maybe difficult to accommodate the portable device having a greater size inthe planar dimension in the accommodation section. In addition, theabove way may cause a greater size of the in-vehicle device.Furthermore, the presence of the display unit 131 and the operation unit132 on the front-face unit 120 limits the space for accommodating theportable device. In contrast, the present embodiment is capable ofaccommodating the portable device 10 having a greater size in planardimension because the eject unit 164 is provided behind theaccommodation section 170, and the opening 169 is formed in the side ofthe accommodation section 170. The portable device 10 having a greatersize in planar dimension may have the display unit 11 having a greaterscreen size, which improves the visibility of the display unit 11.

The opening 169 is provided on the right side of the front-face unit 120on which the portable device 10 is ejected or pushed out from theaccommodation section 170. Thus, the user can easily hold the right sideof the portable device 10 that has been ejected from the accommodationsection 170. It is thus possible to easily remove the portable device 10from the in-vehicle device 100. In the state illustrated in FIG. 8, theportable device 10 is detachably supported by the eject unit 164, aswill be described in detail later.

The eject unit 164 is now described in detail.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the eject unit 164, FIG. 10 illustratesthe eject unit 164 viewed from the backside of the front-face unit 120,and FIG. 11 is a cutaway cross-sectional view of a part of thefront-face unit 120. FIG. 11 illustrates a state in which the portabledevice 10 has been removed from the accommodation section 170. Asillustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10, the eject unit 164 is composed of a shaft164 a, an arm 164 b, a spring 164 c, a support pin 164 d, and a coverportion 164 e.

The eject unit 164 is arranged behind the accommodation section 170. Theshaft 164 a is rotatably supported by a shaft hole 174 behind theaccommodation section 170. The arm 164 b extends from the shaft 164 aoutwards in the radial direction. The spring 164 c is an urging memberand is wound around the shaft 164 a. The spring 164 c functions to causethe arm 164 b to eject or push out the portable device 10 attached tothe accommodation section 170. The support pin 164 d is formed at a tipend of the arm 164 b. The arm 164 b may be a support member thatdetachably supports the portable device 10 in the state illustrated inFIG. 8, as will be described in detail later. The cover portion 164 e isprovided on the bottom side of the arm 164 b and is formed into a thinplate shape.

The escape vent 165 has an edge 165 a, which is brought into contactwith the arm 164 b in a state in which the portable device 10 has beenremoved. The edge 165 a is formed so as to have a contour formed alongthe outer shape of the arm 164 b. Due to the function of the spring 164c, the arm 164 b is pushed against the shaft 164 a. When the arm 164 bis brought into contact with the edge 165 b, the turn of the arm 164 bis limited.

A description will be given of a way to attach and detach the portabledevice 10 to and from the in-vehicle device 100. FIGS. 12A through 12Care respectively cutaway cross-sectional views of parts of the portabledevice 10 and the in-vehicle device 100. FIG. 12A illustrates a way toattach the portable device 10 to the in-vehicle device 100. Referring toFIG. 12A, the portable device 10 is inserted in a direction depicted ina state in which the portable device 10 is tilted to the accommodationsection 170 in order to engage the ribs 162 located at the left side ofthe accommodation section 170 with the recesses 59 formed on thecorresponding side of the portable device 10. In the state illustratedin FIG. 12A, the back surface of the portable device 10 is pressedagainst the support pin 164 d over the urging force of the spring 164 c.

When the portable device 10 is inserted into the direction indicated bythe arrow depicted in FIG. 12A, the ribs 162 are engaged with therecesses 59, and the support pin 164 d is engaged with the engagementgroove 60, as depicted in FIG. 12B. The engagement of the support pin164 d with the engagement groove 60 supports the portable device 10 inthe state illustrated in FIG. 12B.

The slopes 163 contact the back surface of the portable device 10 andguide the portable device 10 to a position where the ribs 162 areengaged with the recesses 59. In this position, the portable device 10is attached to the accommodation section 170. That is, the slopes 163correspond to a guide that guides the portable device 10 to theattachment position. With this structure, the portable device 10 caneasily be loaded.

The portable device 10 is plugged in the accommodation section 170 fromthe state depicted in FIG. 12B, the lock 161 locks the portable device10, so that the portable device 10 can be attached to the accommodationsection 170, as illustrated in FIG. 12C.

The portable device 10 may be removed from the accommodation section 170as follows. The detachment button 160 is depressed, and the lock 161disengages the locked state. The eject unit 164 urges the portabledevice 10 forwards from the backside thereof. Thus, part of the portabledevice 10 is ejected from the accommodation section 170 with the ribs162 being engaged with the recesses 59. That is, the portable device 10is ejected from the accommodation section 170 in the state illustratedin FIGS. 8 and 12B.

The portable device 10 ejected from the accommodation section 170 issupported in the state illustrated in FIG. 12B in which the support pin164 d is engaged with the engagement groove 60. The engagement of thesupport pin 164 d with the engagement groove 60 is maintained due to theweight of the portable device 10. The user slightly lifts up theportable device 10 supported by the support pin 164 d forwards, so thatthe support pin 164 d can be disengaged from the engagement groove 60and the portable device 10 can be removed.

The portable device 10 can be attached to and detached from thein-vehicle device 100 in the manner described above. The eject unit 164pushes the center portion of the portable device 10 between the left andright sides. If the eject unit 164 pushes a portion of the portabledevice 10 close to the right side thereof on which the portable device10 is ejected, an increased stroke will be needed to eject the portabledevice 10 may be increased. The increased stroke increases the side ofthe eject unit. In contrast, the present embodiment is designed to pushthe center portion of the portable device 10, so that the portabledevice 10 can be ejected by a reduced stroke and the downsizing can berealized.

The eject unit 164 may be arranged on the left side of the accommodationsection 170. In this arrangement, the portable device 10 is turned aboutthe left side thereof, and only a reduced stroke is needed to push outthe portable device 10. However, the above arrangement needs increasedforce necessary to eject the portable device 10. Therefore, there is aneed to employ a spring having greater spring force. However, whengreater spring force is applied to the eject unit 164, the eject unit164 has increased load and may be damaged. In addition, it may bedifficult to arrange the spring having greater spring force in a spaceavailable on the left side of the accommodation section 170 because ofthe presence of the operation unit 132 arranged on the left side. Incontrast, the in-vehicle device 100 of the present embodiment does nothave the above problems because the eject unit 164 is arranged behindthe accommodation section 170.

As has been described, the portable device 10 is detachably supported bythe engagement of the support pin 164 d with the engagement groove 60when the portable device 10 is ejected by the eject unit 164. Theengagement groove 60 is arranged close to the bottom surface of theportable device 10 and is located at the center portion between the leftand right sides of the portable device 10. Thus, the portable device 10is supported at the center portion close to the bottom. The portabledevice 10 is supported at a position close to the center of gravity, sothat supporting can be reliable. The center position close to the bottommeans that the above center position is closer to the bottom than theright, left and upper surfaces of the portable device 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the cover portion 164 e covers a part of theescape vent 165 in the state in which the portable device 10 is removedfrom the in-vehicle device 100. It is thus possible to prevent a fingerof the user from being caught between the escape vent 165 and the ejectunit 164.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the edge 165 a is formed so that the contouris shaped along the side surface of the arm 164 b. The edge 165 a isuseful in a case where the left side of the portable device 10 contactsthe eject unit 164 and force is exerted on the eject unit 164 rightwardsin FIG. 11 when the portable device 10 is attached to the accommodationsection 170. In this case, the force applied to the eject unit 164 isdistributed by the edge 165 a, concentration of load on the shaft 164 acan be prevented. It is thus possible to prevent the eject unit 164 frombeing damaged.

The slopes 163 guide the portable device 10 to the attachment position.The slopes 163 are provided taking the following into consideration.There is a trend to thin the portable device 10. Thus, the side surfaceof the portable device 10 is reduced. In the absence of the slopes 163,there may be a difficulty in engagement between the recesses 59 formedon the left side of the portable device 10 and the ribs 162. The slopes163 make it possible to easily attach the thinned portable device 10 thein-vehicle device 100.

As illustrated in FIG. 11, the ribs 162 are shaped so as to becomethinner towards the ends from the root sides. It is thus possible tofacilitate engagement of the ribs 162 with the recesses 59. The tip endsof the ribs 162 are rounded. It is thus possible to prevent the portabledevice 10 from being bruised and to prevent the ribs 162 from beingdamaged, if the ends of the ribs 162 touch the right surface of theportable device 10 at the time of attaching the portable device 10 tothe accommodation section 170.

If the in-vehicle device described in Reference 6 is attached to avehicle, as illustrated in FIG. 13A, a portable device 10 a is attachedto and removed from an accommodation section 170 a for accommodating theportable device by causing the accommodation section 170 a to protrudefrom a front surface 212 of a console of the vehicle and causing theportable device 10 a to vertically slide in the accommodation section170 a. During the attachment or detachment, the portable device 10 a mayhit a discharge port of an air conditioner located in an upper portionof an in-vehicle device 100 a, and the attachment/detachment work maynot be carried out smoothly. Further, the user may happen to touch thein-vehicle device 100 a during the operation of the vehicle because afront surface 200 of the portable device 10 a protrudes from the frontsurface 212. The protruding portable device 10 a reduces the space inthe vehicle.

With the above in mind, it is conceivable to reduce a protrusion lengthL1 between the front surface 212 of the in-vehicle device 100 b and thefront surface 212 of the console 210. However, if the protrusion lengthL1 is less than the width L2 of the portable device 10 b, it may bedifficult to cause the portable device 10 b to slide upwards from theaccommodation section 170 b for removal. With the above in mind, asillustrated in FIG. 13C, the accommodation section 170 b having therecess is provided on the front surface 200. The portable device 10 b isejected forwards from the accommodation section 170 b, as illustrated inFIG. 13B. If the portable device 10 b is not ejected greatly, it may bedifficult for the user to hold the portable device 10 b and remove iteasily. If the portable device 10 b is modified so as to be ejectedgreatly, a greater mechanism may be required to realize the greatejection.

In the structure illustrated in FIG. 13C, the accommodation section 170b has four sidewalls 213 through 216 to define the recess. Thus, only asmall area on the front surface 200 is available for providing theoperation unit for the in-vehicle device 100 b. The front surface 200 isnot great because the in-vehicle device 100 b is installed in theconsole of the vehicle having a limited area.

FIG. 14A schematically illustrates the in-vehicle device 100 in whichthe portable device 10 is accommodated, and FIG. 14B schematicallyillustrates the portable device 10. Referring to FIG. 14A, according tothe first embodiment, the accommodation section 170 (see FIG. 2) fordetachably accommodating the portable device 10 has the recess havingthe opening on the right side. The recess is provided on the frontsurface of the front-face unit 120, and accommodates the portable device10 detachably. The front-face unit 120 has the opening 169 through whichthe right side of the portable device 10 viewed from the front of thefront-face unit 120 is exposed in the state in which the portable device10 is accommodated in the recess. With this structure, it is possiblefor the use to easily hold the right side (a region 206 in FIG. 14B) ofthe portable device 10 exposed through the opening 169 and to thusremove the portable device 10 easily.

Referring to FIG. 14A, the accommodation section 170 does not have thewall on the right side in contrast to the sidewall 213 illustrated inFIG. 13C. It is thus possible to arrange the accommodation section 170on the right side of the in-vehicle device 100 and to efficientlyutilize an area 208 on the left side of the accommodation section 170.When the portable device 10 is horizontally long, the accommodationsection 170 illustrated in FIG. 13C reduces the area 208. It can be seenfrom the above that the opening 169 brings about the particularadvantages.

The opening 169 may be provided on the left side of the accommodationsection 170 viewed from the front thereof. When the portable device 10is held by the right hand, it is preferable that the opening 169 isprovided on the right side of the accommodation section 170 viewed fromthe front thereof.

Referring to FIG. 8, the right side of the portable device 10 is ejectedfrom the accommodation section 170 (see FIG. 2). Thus, the user iscapable of easily holding the right side of the portable device 10. Whenthe eject unit 164 (see FIG. 9) ejects the portable device 10, the partof the portable device 10 on the side of the opening 169 is pushedforwards. Thus, the distance between the front-face unit 120 and theportable device 10 can be increased, and the portable device 10 can beheld more easily. The presence of the opening 169 makes it possible forthe user to hold the portable device 10 easily even when the portabledevice 10 is not ejected greatly. Thus, the eject unit 164 can bedownsized.

Second Embodiment

A second embodiment includes a portable device having a strap hole. FIG.15 is a back view of the portable device in accordance with the secondembodiment. The portable device 10 has a strap hole 220 on a sidesurface. The strap hole 220 is used to engage a rope or wire with theportable device 10. The portable device 10 is connected to thein-vehicle device 100 by the rope or wire engaged with the strap hole220, so that an antitheft mechanism can be realized easily.

FIG. 16 is a side view of the portable device 10 accommodated in thefront-face unit 120. The opening 169 has a dent 222 for exposing thestrap hole 220. The strap hole 220 is exposed through the dent 222 inthe state in which the portable device is accommodated in theaccommodation section. It is thus possible to easily draw the rope orwire engaged with the strap hole 220 through the opening 169.

In the first and second embodiments, the front-face unit 120 covers themain unit 110 in the state in which the front-face unit 120 standsvertically and faces the front surface of the main unit 110, asillustrated in FIG. 14A. As illustrated in FIG. 3, the front surface ofthe main unit 110 is exposed in the state in which the front-face unit120 is inclined by causing the lower portion of the front-face unit 120to slide forwards. Thus, the front-face unit 120 is movable. Thefront-face unit 120 is movably supported by the main unit 110 by theslider 181. The first and second embodiments may be varied so that thefront-face unit 120 is not movable but is provided to the front of thein-vehicle device 100 in the stationary fashion.

The portable devices used in the first and second embodiments may beportable navigation devices and other types of portable devices that canbe detachably accommodated in the accommodation section 170. The recentportable navigation devices are required to have a greater size of thedisplay unit 11, which needs a greater size of the accommodation section170. The present invention is particularly advantageous to the recentportable navigation devices.

The present invention is not limited to the specifically disclosedembodiments and variations, but other embodiments and variations may bemade without departing from the scope of the present invention.

The present invention is based on Japanese Patent Application No.2008-102866 filed on Apr. 10, 2008 and Japanese Patent Application No.2008-134878 filed on May 23, 2008, the entire disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference.

1. An electronic device comprising: an accommodation section thatdetachably accommodates a portable device; an eject unit that ejects theportable device accommodated in the accommodation section; and a guidemechanism that guides the portable device so that a first side of theportable device is positioned in the accommodation section and a secondside thereof opposite to the first side is ejected from theaccommodation section, the eject unit being arranged behind theaccommodation section, and the accommodation section having an openingthrough which the second side of the portable device accommodated in theaccommodation section is exposed.
 2. The electronic device as claimed inclaim 1, wherein the eject unit pushes a center portion of the portabledevice between the first and second sides thereof.
 3. The electronicdevice as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eject unit includes a supportmember that detachably supports the portable device in a state in whichthe first side of the portable device is positioned in the accommodationsection and the second side thereof is ejected from the accommodationsection.
 4. The electronic device as claimed in claim 3, wherein thesupport member supports a bottom of the portable device.
 5. Theelectronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the accommodationsection has an escape vent for escaping the eject unit.
 6. Theelectronic device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the eject unit includesa cover member that covers the escape vent in a state in which theportable device is removed from the accommodation section.
 7. Theelectronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the eject unit includesa shaft rotatably supported, an arm extending from the shaft outwards ina radial direction, and an urging member that causes the arm to ejectthe portable device.
 8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 5,wherein the escape vent has a shape formed along an outer shape of thearm so that the escape vent is brought into contact with the arm in astate in which the portable device is removed from the accommodationsection.
 9. An electronic system comprising a portable device, and anelectronic device that detachable holds the portable device, theelectronic device comprising: an accommodation section that detachablyaccommodates the portable device; an eject unit that ejects the portabledevice accommodated in the accommodation section; and a guide mechanismthat guides the portable device so that a first side of the portabledevice is positioned in the accommodation section and a second sidethereof opposite to the first side is ejected from the accommodationsection, the eject unit being arranged behind the accommodation section,and the accommodation section having an opening through which the secondside of the portable device accommodated in the accommodation section isexposed.
 10. The electronic system as claimed in claim 9, wherein theportable device is a navigation device.
 11. An in-vehicle electronicdevice comprising: a main unit; and a front-face unit provided on afront side of the main unit, the front-face unit including anaccommodation section having a recess for detachably accommodating aportable device, the accommodation section having an opening throughwhich one of right and left sides of the portable device is exposed in astate in which the portable device is accommodated in the accommodationsection.
 12. The in-vehicle electronic device as claimed in claim 11,further comprising an eject unit that ejects a side of the portabledevice on which the opening is formed.
 13. The in-vehicle electronicdevice as claimed in claim 11, wherein the portable device has a straphole on a side, and the strap hole is exposed through the opening in astate in which the portable device is accommodated in the recess. 14.The in-vehicle electronic device as claimed in claim 11, wherein theportable device is a portable navigation device.
 15. An in-vehicleelectronic system comprising a portable device and an in-vehicleelectronic device, the in-vehicle electronic device comprising: a mainunit; and a front-face unit provided on a front side of the main unit,the front-face unit including an accommodation section having a recessfor detachably accommodating the portable device, the accommodationsection having an opening through which one of right and left sides ofthe portable device is exposed in a state in which the portable deviceis accommodated in the accommodation section.